


The Golden Serpent

by TheVoidInMyHead



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, World of Darkness (Games)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVoidInMyHead/pseuds/TheVoidInMyHead
Summary: After a recording of CCTV footage has been found the Second Inquisition sends out an agent to gather information on a cult formerly known as "The Followers of Set".





	1. Recording 1

[Seemingly corrupted CCTV footage. The image is blurry and the voice of the woman extremely distorted.]  
Young Man: Hello? Anyone there?  
Woman: Just me.  
Young Man: Come out! Show yourself!  
Woman: You knew god wouldn't answer your prayers.  
Young Man: If this is a prank, it isn't funny!  
Woman: Poor little Sally. She can no longer tell any stories.  
Young Man: What the fuck is going on?! Come on guys, I know you're trying to screw with me!  
Woman: Your friends don't know about Sally. You hid that well. But I do. I also know what you did to the guy who cracked her head on the pavement.  
Woman: Oh, the lengths you went through to find him and talk him into coming to that bar.  
Young Man: How do you know about that?  
Woman: From the dark parts of your soul. From the whispers only I can hear.  
Woman: I can see inside your heart. I know you better than anyone could ever dream of.  
Young Man: Who are you?  
Woman: Does it matter?  
Young Man: Yes.  
Woman: Then you may call me Aurelia.  
Young Man: What do you want?  
Aurelia: To be your friend. To guide you. You might not believe in god, but you ought to believe in ME.  
Aurelia: Do you?  
Young Man: Yes.  
Aurelia: Very good. Destroy the camera, then I will show mys-  
[Screen goes black.]


	2. Recording 2

[Bugged agent on mission "Sha". Objective: Gather information on cult from "Golden Serpent".]  
Agent: It's impressive.  
Golden Serpent: Thank you. My people and I worked very hard to make it so.  
Golden Serpent: Would you like a tour of the temple?  
Agent: I would love that.  
Agent: You have quite a lot of devotees here.  
Golden Serpent: Of course.  
Agent: Who do you pray to?  
Golden Serpent: We don't pray to any gods here.  
Agent: I don't think I follow.  
Golden Serpent: They come here to release themselves from the shackles of their own making. They meditate on them and we share our findings.  
Golden Serpent: We can be so much, but we shackle ourselves with laws and restrictions. To break these patterns, even ever so slightly is to truly bring change in the long run.  
Agent: I would call it bringing chaos.  
Golden Serpent: You're wrong. Not chaos, only completely different outcomes. Whatever these outcomes are, they are only patterns that SEEM chaotic. But they're not. They're just hard to predict. I can see the patterns, you just have to know what outcome they lead to.  
Agent: Would you let me join the discussions later? I'm intrigued.  
Golden Serpent: If you would like to join into the talks, you would first need to sit and contemplate. I can guide you into it, if you will let me.  
Agent: It would be an honor.  
Golden Serpent: Then please, enter the booth with the pillow over there.  
Agent: It's very beautiful. It's like having the night sky wrapped around you.  
Golden Serpent: Yes. Close the door and sit.  
Golden Serpent: Good. Relax. Keep your eyes open.  
Golden Serpent: I would like you to think about why you're here. Why you're interested in us. What you hope to gain from this visit and if you think it's really going to help you.  
Golden Serpent: You're uncomfortable. Is it because you're not here of your own free will? Are you just here to make someone else happy?  
Golden Serpent: Your silence speaks volumes. Now think about how a minor action could change the outcome of all of this. As of now, you're here on an assignment.  
Golden Serpent: Isn't that right, Agent Hatters?  
Agent Hatters: What are you doing to me?! I can't move!  
Golden Serpent: I am just making sure that you won't do anything that could end in a catastrophe for both of us. I will let you walk out of here unharmed. You have nothing to fear. Can I count on you to do the same for me?  
Agent: Yes.  
Golden Serpent: Good. As I was saying, as of now it's an assignment for you. One that you don't really want to do, but have to. It's a shackle. I would like you to change your view of this. Think of this as more of an opportunity to learn and experience something new. I would like for you to walk out of here and be able to talk about it without having the shackles of your mission weigh you down.  
Golden Serpent: Tell me how this change of view feels to you.  
Agent Hatters: If feels freeing. Less stressful. It's nice.  
Golden Serpent: You can come back here whenever you like.  
Agent Hatters: Thank you. I might do that.


	3. Temple Garden

Aurelia walked through her temple, an entourage of devotees following her every step, offering their wrists to her. She gently pushed them away, declining them all.  
She was dressed in golden snake print pants, a black, short sleeve off the shoulder top and black sandals. She wore no jewelry except for a golden ring in the shape of a snake.  
It had been around an hour since agent Hatters had left and she was still smiling to herself. He would be back. She had felt it. She had seen it. She knew it to be true. The colors and the patterns in her head had told her so. Set had shown her. She could see his presence everywhere, most strongly when she closed her eyes. He was right there every time, hidden in the swirling colorful shapes that formed images, words and patterns that guided her.  
Yes. Agent Hatters would be back. And it would be of his own free will. She had left an impression. Of course she had. She always did. People loved her. Even some kindred did.  
She entered the gardens and turned to her devotees. "I need some time to think, one of you may accompany me. Who didn't have the honor yet?"  
A young woman with long blond hair, wearing blue bohemian pants and a white, loose top was ushered forward by the other devotees.  
She was very shy, she almost looked afraid. She didn't like the attention.  
Aurelia smiled. She was perfect. She would be no trouble. She wouldn't talk much. She reached out her hand for the woman to take it. "What's your name, dear?" she asked, making her voice as soft and inviting as she could.  
"Skylar." It wasn't even a whisper. It was less than. It was so quiet that Aurelia almost didn't catch it.  
She addressed the other devotees. "You may go on to do as you please." She looked up at Skylar, who still hadn't taken her hand, to be met by bright blue eyes. "It's fine. Take my hand. Nobody will talk about it, don't worry."  
There was another moment of hesitation before she finally took it. "Thank you."  
Pleased, Aurelia led her across the bridge with the small stream running underneath it.  
Such a fragile soul, she thought to herself. Easily manipulated. Easily turned into the perfect instrument.  
A blood red wave of color flashed across her entire vision before slowly draining out of view. Then a single dot of red ran from top to bottom, leaving a trail like blood. It started forming words.  
'Make her yours.'  
It changed color and became blurry and larger for a moment before sharpening again. It had turned first brown, then almost black.  
'I want you to make her yours.'  
She should listen. This was Set's will. And that woman was glorious. A temptation. She was something Aurelia secretly liked.  
"You've never been to the garden haven't you?" she asked Skylar, who was looking around in awe. "It's very beautiful isn't it? I come here to focus my mind a lot." The gardens were open to everyone, only a small part of it she had sectioned off for her privacy. Her followers were not allowed to go there without her supervision.  
"I haven't, no. It is beautiful."  
Such a quiet voice. She would teach her how to break these chains. "How long have you been attending meetings here?" She was curious. This one must not have been here too long.  
"Half a year."  
A ghost. She had probably never spoken up, or she would have remembered her. "You don't like attention, do you?" She turned a corner into the parts of the garden she had claimed for herself. The one at the small lake with the tall trees. She gestured for Skylar to sit on a black and gold rug very close to the water. Close enough to touch it. Then she sat as well.  
"True. I prefer to be in the background." She seemed calmer without so many eyes on her.  
Set was right. She was perfect. Just what she needed. What she wanted. The perfect bar of steel to craft into a weapon. And she would make her a beautiful weapon. Beautiful and lethal to come in contact with. Like a poison coated blade.  
She leaned closer to Skylar and said warmly, "That's fine. We're all alone here, away from prying eyes. You can relax." She made a grand gesture to the many trees surrounding them. This part of the garden was more of a small forest than anything else. "Believe me when I say this spot is a safe haven for me and anyone I bring here."  
It got the faintest of smiles out of Skylar. "I believe you."   
She didn't shy away when Aurelia touched her cheek lightly. "That's good to hear." She pulled her hand back. "I assume you know all at the temple here offer me their blood, correct?"  
Skylar nodded.  
"Sometimes I offer mine to show my appreciation as well," she smiled and bit her wrist with her fangs and offered it to Skylar. "You don't seek attention and I value that. Go on, drink. It's perfectly safe."  
For a split second, Aurelia thought she wouldn't accept. She wasn't used to the hesitation. The caution.  
Skylar's lips touched her wrist lightly. She almost couldn't feel it. The drops of blood left her skin and she saw Skylar swallow them. "How do you feel?"  
"A bit more awake, strangely," she answered, sounding thoughtful.  
"You'll feel even better after you've had it a few more times."  
"I didn't know it feels so good," she whispered.  
Aurelia smiled widely. "It does, doesn't it. It feels just as good when you give blood."  
"Is that why they are so eager to offer it at any chance they get?"  
"Want to find out?" Aurelia ran a finger along Skylar's neck. "All you'll feel is a tiny prick and then it's ecstatic."  
"Alright." She turned her head to the side a bit.  
Aurelia kissed it and ran a hand through Skylar's hair. "Relax," she breathed against her skin. "I'll be very gentle." She lightly grazed her neck with her fangs to see if she would tense again. She did. "You can trust me. I won't hurt you." It calmed her down. The tension left her muscles. "Yes, just like that. You can let go. You're safe with me." Her fangs broke the skin and she heard a short intake of breath and then a long sigh.  
Her blood was wonderful. It was now full with a calmness and gratitude that she could taste.  
She drank as much as she could without harming her and then pulled back after licking the two small puncture wounds closed. She looked at Skylar, who was now truly smiling for the first time in her presence. "Did you like it?"  
"Yes. A lot. It made me feel happy. It made me feel-" She looked away, embarrassed and didn't continue speaking.  
Aurelia knew that look. Very well. Skylar had been lonely. That was why she was here. Oh, she would be the best of them all. She would be loyal. She would never betray her. "You shouldn't be afraid to say it. So tell me. Tell me how it made you feel. Please." The last word she spoke in a tone that was like honey dripping off her tongue. Sweetly.  
Skylar's voice was shaking and she couldn't quite tell if it was because she was scared to say the words or if she was trying to keep herself from crying. "It made me feel loved..."  
She opened her arms. "Come here. It's alright. I know what that feels like."  
Yes. She had been trying to hold in her tears after all. They were now flowing from her eyes like liquid crystals. "I don't know if you do," she brought out between hitched breaths.  
Aurelia pulled her close. "I wasn't always this popular. There was a time where my parents threw me out of the house and told me they would not have a daughter that loved both men and women. There was a time where I was shunned for taking what my neighbors and the entire town believed to be a man's job. They told me sailing wasn't for young women. They threw stones at me as I left. They told me I was crazy. They laughed at me."  
She felt Skylar's body shake with sobs as she spoke muffled into her shirt. "I'm sorry I doubted your words."  
"It's okay." She petted her head and looked out over the lake while she waited for her to calm again.  
Absentminded she kept stroking her hair until her breaths slowed and she realized, Skylar had fallen asleep.  
She gently lay her down onto the rug and got a blanket to cover her. If she didn't wake up before the sun would start to rise in the sky, Skylar would find herself waking up only to a note she had left her.


	4. The Serpent

Skylar hadn't woken up so Aurelia had slipped a note under her hand before she had gone to sleep. It read:  
Skylar. Do not be alarmed that I am not there. I'm sleeping nearby during daytime. Ps. You can come back here during the evening. If you see a snake, do not be alarmed. It doesn't harm humans and it isn't poisonous. You can even pet it. -Aurelia.  
As the sun set in the sky Aurelia woke, curled up and burrowed in the ground under a stone. She slithered out and looked around.  
She was indeed there, sitting on the rug by the lake just like she had the other night. Should she make her way over and see her reaction to the snake she had mentioned in her note? Oh, yes she should. In her serpent form Skylar would tell her things that she wouldn't say otherwise. So she slid through the grass towards her.  
She was only noticed when she was already quite close. She saw Skylar's eyes widen, but not in fear. In awe. Then she smiled. "Oh, you are one gorgeous python."  
Yes, yes she was. Aurelia was pleased to hear that Skylar was familiar with snakes. When she was on the rug, she curled up again.  
"You're cute," Skylar told her. "Aurelia said I could pet you, you know?"  
Please do.  
She wanted her to because she liked it. She waited and was disappointed when she didn't.  
Time passed and Skylar didn't speak again. It was only when her stomach growled that she said, "I should get something to eat and see if Aurelia is around here somewhere." She slowly reached her hand out.  
She didn't move, if she did she was sure it would cause Skylar to retract her hand.  
"Aw, you really are cute," she spoke happily. "If I find a fat rat, I'll bring it to you. Promise."  
A soft hissing sound escaped her mouth as she was unable to laugh in this form and Skylar immediately pulled back her hand. When she realized that she wasn't moving she cocked her head to the side. "Strange..." She stood up and made her way towards the temple. Aurelia followed her until they were to the edge of the trees.  
Skylar looked back at her. "I'll be back."  
Once she was out of sight, Aurelia changed back and stretched. Now it was time to play.


	5. Inquisition Headquarters

[Meeting between Agent Hatters and his supervisor.]  
S: What's your assessment of this cult so far?  
AH: As of now, I do not think they're a threat just yet. They just sit and discuss things. We will need more information. I propose the continuation of this mission.  
S: Then you will act as a double agent. Take a place in their ranks and report back to us once a week.  
AH: Very well. It will be done.


	6. Aurelia's Diary 1

Blood runs down my arm in rivulets  
Drawing patterns that make no sense  
Spelling letters that I can't read  
I still bleed inside from my mind  
I search for Set in my head  
It is time that we met  
Need you to guide my hand  
Please tell me where we stand  
I just can't pretend that I understand  
The signs you sent


	7. Soul Seeker

It didn't take long to find her again. She was huddled in a corner at the far end of the table with a bowl of noodles in front of her.  
The dining hall was currently almost empty. It was just a few followers who actually resided at the temple. Apparently Skylar was one of them.  
Aurelia made sure to come in through the front entrance and not through one of the others. "Good evening."  
The entirety of the dining hall stood at once and spoke in unison. "Good evening, Aurelia."  
"Please, don't let my presence distract you. Sit, eat." She went over to Skylar and took a seat opposite to her. "Sleep well?" she smirked.  
"Very much so, thank you."  
She seemed a lot more comfortable now than the other night, or maybe it just appeared to her that way because she had never seen her act in this kind of setting before.  
"I came across the snake you mentioned earlier," Skylar informed her. "It's very pretty and very friendly. Does it have a name?"  
"No," she lied.  
"Oh, okay." She sounded a bit sad over the fact.  
"It is not my pet," Aurelia chuckled. "It's its home. It's been living there for quite a while now."  
"I see."  
She stood again and told her, "I will be back in a bit. I have some business to attend to. Enjoy your meal."  
"Thanks." She lightly bowed her head and watched her leave with a slight sting in her heart.  
Upstairs Aurelia went into her room. She preferred to sleep outside during summer, but during the winter this was where she stayed. It doubled as her office also. It was nice and comfy. The entire room had been painted, including the ceiling and the door to the bathroom. It was one enormous mural depicting a desert at night with a million stars in the sky. The floor of her room was made from adobe.  
She had taken off her sandals and left them outside as she closed the door behind her. Barefoot she walked over to her dresser and completely undressed and took off her ring as well, then went to run herself a bath.  
As she passed the gold framed floor mirror she took a look at herself. She smiled at the two long scars on the right side of her mid section. They were a reminder of who she had been a very long time ago.  
What she had told Skylar the night before hadn't been the truth, but it hadn't been a complete lie either. She had just changed a few details.  
She let out a sigh and entered the bathroom. When the tub was finally full, she sank into the water and completely went under, closing her eyes. The silence and the bit of pressure all around her was welcoming. Like this, the patterns and words were clearer in her mind. She could even hear his distant whispers in her blood.  
She relaxed and strangely, there was only blackness this time. The blackness felt different than usual however. Somehow she felt like she had left the bathroom, that she was floating through the vacuum of space.  
A wave of color suddenly rolled in, like a tsunami threatening to drown everything in its wake. It was a mix of orange and red, almost like a flame.  
"You found me." The deep male voice almost scared her for a moment. She had never heard a clear voice before. Whispers, yes. But nothing like this.  
She doubted it would answer, but she tried anyway. "Who are you?"  
Two invisible hands took her face in them. She opened her eyes in shock, but there was nothing to see. It was as if she was blind to everything around here. All there was were the waves of orange and red in her vision among the blackness. She reached out, but there was nothing there to touch. The feeling of the hands on her face remained. She thought she knew who was speaking to her.  
The voice spoke again and it answered her question with another. "Can't you guess?" She felt its amusement even when it wasn't in its voice.  
"You are Set, aren't you?" she breathed and she realized that she wasn't even truly speaking at all. She was talking in her own head.  
"Yes."  
There was a moment of silence before she found her mental voice again. "I feel honored to get to speak to you."  
She felt his hands leave her face and run down her neck, before grabbing her shoulders. "As you should."  
The patterns in front of her eyes began to shift and change. They were more like smoke now. And from the smoke, a figure formed in the shape of a man with the head of an animal that was now only known as "sha". Its eyes were like two still glowing embers. Mesmerizing. The man-like figure hung over her, kneeling with both legs to either side of her body.  
"Let me take your body as a home we share," Set said. "Let me be a part of you. Let me fill your soul." He leaned closer and the glow in his eyes became brighter. "Let me see the secrets hidden in your heart."  
"All of it is yours," she spoke quietly. "I am yours to take. As are all the others that share your blood." She couldn't have looked away from him even if she wanted to. She was paralyzed.  
"I do not wish to share with the others. I have chosen you." With one hand he opened her mouth fully. "Do not move." And with those words he dissolved again, the black, hot smoke entering through her mouth, down her throat and expanding in her lungs where it was carried through her body in her blood, burning her up from inside. Even though it burned, it wasn't painful. She couldn't remember the name for the feeling. She felt wonderful. She felt larger than herself.  
Set's voice had changed. It was everywhere now. Inside and outside of her. "We will free them all."  
Yes, they would. She would make sure of that.  
"We will free the world," she laughed as she surfaced again from the water and her eyes took in her bathroom.


	8. Aurelia's Diary 2

You told me that I need to listen  
Not who to listen to  
Not what to listen to  
You told me that I need to pray  
Not who to pray to  
Not what to pray for  
You told me you would never let me die  
You lied, you lied, you lied!  
And now, I will come for you  
You never tried to save me  
The blood will have its way  
It freed me from my shackles  
It purged me from my fears


End file.
